
Disposability and Covid-19. How brands can ensure they aren’t going back to the disposability model
Disposability is a concept that brands have been attempting to move away from for years. The idea that packaging must be thrown away after a single use is not just unsustainable but also expensive. As a result of this, disposability has been high on the business agenda in recent years. Despite recent progress, Kantar (a global data and insights company) has identified COVID-19 as an obstacle in the way of further advancement. They have suggested, that as a result of the outbreak, struggling businesses will “deprioritise the sustainability agenda”. At a household level, “efforts towards sustainable living have been derailed due to the tightening of household budgets”, creating an increase in the purchase of products packaged in ‘single-use’ plastic. We spoke to Robert Lockyer, CEO of Delta Global, a company leading the way in terms of designing sustainable luxury packaging. Our conversation focused around how brands can ensure they don’t backtrack on progress made so far. “Have you seen any positive change to businesses approach to sustainability during the COVID-19 outbreak?” “Certainly. The pandemic has brought to light the vulnerability of traditional business models. Adoption of technology and digital services, for remote working for example, have been forced upon us. Typically, these alternatives to the physical means are much more...